Multiple Sclerosis helpline launched in UAE

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has launched the MS Helpline, a new service designed to provide information on specialist MS healthcare practitioners across the UAE.

The helpline also offers active listening support and facilitates mental health assessments and serves as a data collection tool to build the NMSS’s database and enhance existing programmes.

This initiative, supported by Mubadala through the Mubadala Foundation and operated by M42, offers guidance, advice, and information while providing confidential and impartial assistance to the MS community.

The MS Helpline, accessible by dialling 800 677, is the first phone-based support initiative for people living with MS in the UAE. It offers access to essential resources, referrals and guidance on clinics with MS specialists and is available from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week.

His Excellency Ahmed Taleb Al Shamsi, CEO of the Emirates Foundation and Vice Chair of  NMSS, said: “The UAE’s leadership prioritises advancing healthcare for everyone and  NMSS is committed to improving access to necessary medical services for people living with MS. With the launch of the MS Helpline, people living with MS and their primary carers can now easily access information and resources to help them in managing MS.

“We are proud that this helpline is a regional first for dedicated MS support. We look forward to enhancing the service based on feedback from the MS community, as we move towards its next phase of implementation. The NMSS values its collaboration with M42, and the support provided for the launch of the MS Helpline, which has been instrumental in availing of this service.

“We believe that partnerships and collaborative efforts among various stakeholders are crucial for tackling the challenges of MS and building a supportive ecosystem across the UAE.”

The MS Helpline aligns with the National MS Coalition's objectives, announced by the NMSS on World MS Day in May 2024. The coalition aims to implement a national MS agenda, foster cooperation and knowledge sharing, and establish a formal framework to achieve NMSS’s priorities and mandates to better the lives of people with MS.